Liquid pharmaceutical composition

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a physically and chemically stable pharmaceutical liquid composition including sodium picosulfate, magnesium oxide, citric acid and malic acid and methods of making and using such a composition.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/214,768, filed Jul. 20, 2016, which is a continuation of International Appl. No. PCT/KR2014/005512, filed Jun. 23, 2014, which claims the benefit of Republic of Korea Patent Application Number 10-2014-0032242, filed Mar. 19, 2014. The related applications, and PCT International Publication Number WO2015/141897 (the publication of PCT/KR2014/005512), are each hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical liquid composition, and more particularly to a physically and chemically stable pharmaceutical liquid composition including sodium picosulfate, magnesium oxide, citric acid and malic acid.

BACKGROUND

A medicine including citric acid magnesium oxide and sodium picosulfate is used as a purgative for pretreatment at the time of surgery, colonoscopy or colon X-ray inspection, and is currently commercially available as the name of Picolight power. This medicine is white powder which is used by being dissolved in water when taken orally.

The medicine in the dosage form of powder should be taken by dissolving one package in a suitable amount of water. However, some patients may feel inconvenient when dissolving the medicine in water, and some patients who fail to recognize how to use properly may drink water after putting the powder into the mouth. In this case, exothermic reaction occurring when the powder is dissolved in water may burn the patient's mouth.

Thus, the medicine in the form of powder may be dissolved in water in advance and stored in a refrigerator or another storage space before being taken. However, in this case, citric acid and magnesium oxide that are chief ingredients may react with each other to become magnesium citrate, and the remaining magnesium oxide after reaction may accelerate the precipitation of the magnesium citrate over time to sink to the bottom. Therefore, if the medicine is not diluted well with water when taken, a proper effect cannot be achieved because the precipitated amount cannot be taken. As the pH of the medicine is kept low, the amount of precipitation tends to be reduced. However, in this case, there arises a problem such that sodium picosulfate becomes unstable.

Therefore, in order to solve the problems described above, there is a demand for a physically and chemically stable pharmaceutical liquid composition.

SUMMARY

In view of the above, the present invention provides a physically and chemically stable pharmaceutical liquid composition including sodium picosulfate, magnesium oxide and citric acid.

However, objects of the present invention are not restricted to the one set forth herein. The above and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains by referencing the detailed description of the present invention given below.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pharmaceutical liquid composition including sodium picosulfate, magnesium oxide, citric acid and malic acid.

The pharmaceutical liquid composition may be used for colon cleaning as a purgative for pretreatment at the time of surgery, colonoscopy or colon X-ray inspection.

A one-time dose of the liquid composition may be different according to the content of an effective ingredient, but may range from 50 mL to 500 mL as a non-limiting example. In an exemplary embodiment, it may range from 100 mL to 300 mL or may range from 150 mL to 200 mL, but it is not limited thereto.

In order to remove the inconvenience when the medicine in the form of powder is taken by dissolving powder in water, it is intended to change the dosage form from powder to liquid. However, the present invention provides a pharmaceutical liquid composition which is physically and chemically stable when stored.

As one example, in the pharmaceutical liquid composition, for 24 months, a content change of each ingredient may be within ±5.0 wt. % (weight percent) with respect to the weight of each ingredient, and impurities. Substance A related to sodium picosulfate (4-[(pyridine-2-yl)(4-hydroxyphenyl)methyl]phenyl sodium sulfate) may be generated at 2.0 wt. % or less. Further, the precipitate may not occur, or may occur at 5.0 vol. % (volume percent) or less.

According to experiments by the inventors of the present invention, in the case of using organic acid or inorganic acid other than malic acid, it is difficult to expect the stability as described above. The malic acid may include both 1-malic acid and d-malic acid.

In order to have the stability described above, in one preferred example, the pH of the pharmaceutical liquid preparation may range from 4.1 to 5.4.

According to experiments by the inventors of the present invention, it has been confirmed that superior stability is exhibited in the pH range. If the pH of the pharmaceutical liquid composition is less than 4.1, Substance A related to sodium picosulfate increases, and it is not preferable because the patient may feel uncomfortable with strong sourness when taking the medicine. On the other hand, if the pH of the pharmaceutical liquid composition is greater than 5.4, it is not preferable because it is difficult to dissolve magnesium oxide which causes the precipitation.

The pharmaceutical liquid composition of the present invention may include a variety of excipients and purified water. The purified water is used in order to prepare the medicine in the form of liquid, and the excipients may be used for the excellent taste to increase the medication compliance and the stability of the pharmaceutical liquid composition.

For example, the excipients may include, but not limited to, a pH adjuster, a stabilizer, a preservative, a sweetener and a fragrance ingredient.

The pH adjuster may be an alkalizing agent. In the case of the alkalizing agent, it is possible to adjust a reduction in pH due to the malic acid.

As the alkalizing agent, for example, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium bicarbonate, ammonia solution, potassium citrate, triethanolamine and sodium citrate and the like may be used, but it is not limited thereto. In an exemplary embodiment, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium citrate, and the like may be used, but it is not limited thereto.

The sodium picosulfate, magnesium oxide, citric acid and malic acid may have a weight ratio of 0.003 to 0.009:1 to 3:3.5 to 10.5:0.01 to 13 (sodium picosulfate:magnesium oxide:citric acid:malic acid).

An exemplary method of preparing a pharmaceutical liquid composition of the present invention will be described below.

The method may include the steps of weighing citric acid and magnesium oxide to prepare a mixture, mixing malic acid and a pH adjuster with the prepared mixture, mixing sodium picosulfate with the mixture, and adding purified water to the mixture.

The weighing may also include the step of weighing and separately preparing each of ingredients to be used.

In one example, before adding the purified water, a sweetener, a fragrance ingredient, or a mixture thereof may be added to the mixture or sterilized mixture. The sweetener and/or fragrance ingredient may be used for the excellent taste to increase the medication compliance.

Advantageous Effects

Embodiments of the present invention provide at least the following effects.

By providing a pharmaceutical liquid composition including sodium picosulfate, magnesium oxide, citric acid and malic acid, it is possible to increase the medication compliance and convenience and the ease of storage and transport.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-described effects and other effects which are not described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a process flow diagram illustrating a method of manufacturing a pharmaceutical liquid composition according to an embodiment of the present invention.

OTHER EMBODIMENTS

Although the present invention may be variously changed and include several embodiments, particular embodiments shown in the drawings will be described in detail in a detailed description. However, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments, and various changes, equivalences and substitutions may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

EXAMPLES Example 1

A pharmaceutical liquid composition was prepared by dissolving, in purified water in a weight ratio of 75, sodium picosulfate:magnesium oxide:citric acid:dl-malic acid in a weight ratio of 0.005:1.75:6:4.19, sodium benzoate in a weight ratio of 0.043 as a preservative, disodium edetate hydrate in a weight ratio of 0.035 as a stabilizer, sodium hydroxide in a weight ratio of 2.1 as a pH adjuster, acesulfame potassium in a weight ratio of 0.1, and sucralose in a weight ratio of 0.1 as a sweetener, and a fragrance ingredient in orange flavor in a weight ratio of 0.043.

Comparative Example 1

A powder composition was prepared by including sodium picosulfate:magnesium oxide:citric acid in a weight ratio of 0.005:1.75:6, sodium hydrogen carbonate in a weight ratio of 0.21 as an excipient, acesulfame potassium qs (quantum satis) as a sweetener, and a fragrance ingredient having orange flavor qs (quantum satis).

Example 2

The contents of sodium picosulfate, magnesium oxide and citric acid that are main components of a solution obtained by dissolving the liquid composition of Example 1 in water of 150 mL were compared with those of a solution obtained by dissolving the powder composition of Comparative Example 1 in water of 150 mL. The content comparison method is an experiment method pursuant to British Pharmacopoeia 2004 Compound Sodium Picosulfate Powder for Oral Solution and the measurement was made by high performance liquid chromatography. The results are shown in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1 Ingredient Content Comparative Name Criteria Example 1 Example 1 Sodium picosulfate 90.0~110.0% 100.7% 100.1% Magnesium oxide 90.0~110.0% 101.0% 101.4% Citric acid 90.0~110.0% 100.1% 99.7%

As a result of the experiment, it can be seen from Table 1 that there is no substantial difference between the contents of the main components of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1. Therefore, both the powder composition and the liquid composition are considered to have the same effect as a colon cleanser.

Example 3

A liquid composition was prepared by dissolving, in purified water in a weight ratio of 75, sodium picosulfate:magnesium oxide:citric acid in a weight ratio of 0.005:1.75:6, and adding, as a solubilizing agent, each of polyoxyethylene hydrogenated castor oil, polyethylene sorbitan monooleate, polyoxyethylene octyl dodecyl ether, polysorbate 20, polysorbate 60 and polysorbate 80 at 5.0 wt. % with respect to the total liquid weight. The liquid composition was left under the room temperature conditions (25° C., 60%) to check whether precipitation occurs, and a time point (day) when precipitation occurs at 5.0 vol. % on the bottom of a sample container was measured. The results are shown in Table 2 below.

TABLE 2 Room Temperature Conditions (when Raw Material Name precipitation occurs: day) Polyoxyethylene hydrogenated castor oil 20 Polyethylene sorbitan monooleate 17 Polyoxyethylene octyl dodecyl ether 17 Polysorbate 20 23 Polysorbate 60 22 Polysorbate 80 20

As can be seen in Table 2, it can be confirmed that precipitates are formed at 5.0 vol. % or more as a result of applying a solubilizing agent, and the solubilizing agent does not contribute to prevention of precipitation.

Example 4

A liquid composition was prepared by dissolving, in purified water in a weight ratio of 75, sodium picosulfate:magnesium oxide:citric acid in a weight ratio of 0.005:1.75:6, using, as organic acid in a weight ratio of 4.19, each of citric acid, dl-malic acid, maleic acid, tartrate, fumaric acid, lactic acid, sodium citrate, aspartic acid, succinic acid, glutamic acid, hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid and acetic acid, and adding, as a pH adjuster, sodium hydroxide in a weight ratio of 2.1 for each pH. The liquid composition was left for 24 months under the room temperature conditions (25° C., 60%) to check whether precipitation occurs. A time point (day) when precipitation occurs at 5.0 vol. % on the bottom of a sample container was measured and shown in Table 3 below. The content of the substance related to sodium picosulfate produced after 24 months was measured and shown in Table 4 below.

TABLE 3 Room Temperature Conditions (when Raw Material Name pH precipitation occurs: day) Sodium hydroxide + 5.4 2 Citric acid 4.7 18 4.1 280 Sodium hydroxide + 5.4 — dl-malic acid 4.7 — 4.1 — Sodium hydroxide + 5.4 2 Maleic acid 4.7 10 4.1 350 Sodium hydroxide + 5.4 2 Tartrate 4.7 2 4.1 77 Sodium hydroxide + 5.4 2 Fumaric acid 4.7 18 4.1 98 Sodium hydroxide + 5.4 2 Lactic acid 4.7 14 4.1 105 Sodium hydroxide + 5.4 2 Sodium citrate 4.7 10 4.1 91 Sodium hydroxide + 5.4 2 Aspartic acid 4.7 18 4.1 77 Sodium hydroxide + 5.4 2 Succinic acid 4.7 18 4.1 98 Sodium hydroxide + 5.4 2 Glutamic acid 4.7 14 4.1 98

As can be seen in Table 3, it can be confirmed that precipitation occurs within 24 months in all cases of organic acids other than malic acid.

TABLE 4 Room Temperature Raw Material Name pH Conditions (wt. %) Sodium hydroxide + 5.4 0.19 Citric acid 4.7 0.32 4.1 2.61 Sodium hydroxide + 5.4 0.25 dl-malic acid 4.7 0.39 4.1 1.98 Sodium hydroxide + 5.4 0.31 Maleic acid 4.7 0.49 4.1 2.91 Sodium hydroxide + 5.4 0.26 Tartrate 4.7 0.46 4.1 2.97 Sodium hydroxide + 5.4 0.18 Fumaric acid 4.7 0.60 4.1 2.75 Sodium hydroxide + 5.4 0.26 Lactic acid 4.7 0.74 4.1 2.74 Sodium hydroxide + 5.4 0.18 Sodium citrate 4.7 0.46 4.1 2.25 Sodium hydroxide + 5.4 0.21 Aspartic acid 4.7 0.58 4.1 2.95 Sodium hydroxide + 5.4 0.24 Succinic acid 4.7 0.66 4.1 2.18 Sodium hydroxide + 5.4 0.15 Glutamic acid 4.7 0.49 4.1 2.27

As can be seen in Table 4, it was confirmed that in the case of including malic acid, Substance A related to sodium picosulfate (4-[(pyridine-2-yl)(4-hydroxyphenyl)methyl]phenyl sodium sulfate) is generated at 2.0 wt. % or less in the above-mentioned pH range.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a process flow diagram illustrating a method of preparing a pharmaceutical liquid composition according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The method of preparing a pharmaceutical liquid composition may include the steps of weighing citric acid and magnesium oxide to prepare a mixture (S110), mixing malic acid and sodium hydroxide with the mixture prepared in step S110 (S120), mixing sodium picosulfate with the mixture prepared in step S120 (S130), and adding purified water to the mixture in step S130 (S140).

In step S110, a pH adjuster, a stabilizer, a sweetener and the like may be added to the mixture.

In some cases, step S110 and step S120 may be performed at the same time, and steps S110, S120 and S130 may be performed at the same time. Further, although steps S110, S120 and S130 have been illustrated in the order mentioned, the order is not limited thereto.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. 

1. A method of treatment for cleaning the colon of a subject in need thereof, comprising orally administering to the subject an effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition comprising sodium picosulfate, magnesium oxide, citric acid, and malic acid, wherein the pharmaceutical composition is a solution with a pH in the range from 4.1 to 5.4.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein in the method is for pretreatment for colonoscopy.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein in the method is for pretreatment for surgery.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein in the method is for pretreatment for surgery colon X-ray.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sodium picosulfate, the magnesium oxide, the citric acid, and the malic acid are present in a weight ratio of 0.003 to 0.009:1 to 3:3.5 to 10.5:0.01 to 13 (sodium picosulfate:magnesium oxide:citric acid:malic acid).
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises one or more excipients chosen from pH adjusters, stabilizers, preservatives, sweeteners, and fragrance ingredients.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises acesulfame potassium.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises disodium edetate.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises sodium benzoate.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises sodium hydroxide.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises sucralose.
 12. A method of treatment for cleaning the colon of a subject in need thereof, comprising orally administering to the subject an effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition comprising sodium picosulfate, magnesium oxide, citric acid, and malic acid, wherein the pharmaceutical composition is a liquid with a pH ranging from 4.1 to 5.4, and further wherein the sodium picosulfate, the magnesium oxide, the citric acid, and the malic acid are present in a weight ratio of about 0.005:1.75:6:4.19 (sodium picosulfate:magnesium oxide:citric acid:malic acid).
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein in the method is for pretreatment for colonoscopy.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein in the method is for pretreatment for surgery.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein in the method is for pretreatment for surgery colon X-ray.
 16. The method of claim 12, wherein the composition further comprises one or more excipients chosen from pH adjusters, stabilizers, preservatives, sweeteners, and fragrance ingredients.
 17. The method of claim 12, wherein the composition further comprises acesulfame potassium.
 18. The method of claim 12, wherein the composition further comprises disodium edetate.
 19. The method of claim 12, wherein the composition further comprises sodium benzoate.
 20. The method of claim 12, wherein the composition further comprises sodium hydroxide.
 21. The method of claim 12, wherein the composition further comprises sucralose. 